


the devil’s in the details

by niiiveous



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Adding more later lol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, History, Might up the rating, Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon Fanfiction, Post-Canon, Rare Pair, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-06-27 18:02:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15690552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niiiveous/pseuds/niiiveous
Summary: if you look close enough, you can see the cracks on their walls — erika x archer and the li(v)es between them





	1. he’s the devil in disguise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a snake with blue eyes

He strutted in like he owned the place, hands tucked in his pockets but shoulders pushed back and chin held high, all clean and pristine in his tailored clothes.

And she knew, immediately, that he wasn’t there for the _gym leader_.

“Ah, my _dear_ Erika, I knew I would find you here.”

“What do you want?”

She stared him down the best she could, sat on the floor with her legs traditionally tucked under her body, kimono sleeves swaying with the slight breeze coming in from the open windows.

She could hear the younger lasses swoon- he was conventionally handsome with pale teal hair carefully trimmed short and neat; body lean and covered tastefully with clothes that sought to flatter and show off; and mannerisms elegant, every move precise and calculated.

She couldn’t blame them, if she didn’t know who he was and was younger, she’d swoon over him too.

“I’ve just come to chat, no hostility here.”

He presented a smile, pale lips stretched and showing pure white teeth, but it didn’t reach his eyes. His hands glided out of his pockets, jokingly put up in surrender. A sign of peace-bringing, done only to show the others that he had no ill intentions by arriving unannounced.

Erika nodded, standing up and beckoning her Vileplume to follow after her as she strolled to the gym’s doors, her Jumpluff floating after her in curiosity.

“Let us talk outside. My trainers need not hear this.”

His smile dissolved into a smirk as he walked behind her, pace slower and calculated. The two of them knew he could easily move ahead of her, his natural strides much longer, but this was a diplomatic move- to show he could follow and not be rash.

The self-control he had was something Erika envied, how he could be so calm and collected in enemy grounds while asserting his dominance over the people all the same.

The only time he walked in front, two strides easily placing him ahead, was to open the sliding glass door of her gym for her. Like a gentleman, he stood to the side to let her walk through first before following and closing the door behind him. Still, she kept her eyes on him, head held high and elegant and ladylike- she had as much power as he did, and more in the city of Celadon. 

“Why are you here?”

He furrowed his brows a bit, nasty smirk still on his face and not the least bit intimidated by her off-character sharpness. 

“Down to business so quickly, Erika? Don’t want to catch up for a bit?”

“I want to know why you came so blatantly and without warning.”

He chuckled, hands still tucked in his pocket, and gave her that dry smile again, pearly whites showing but almost like he was a wolf looking down his prey.

“You should know why, my proposal still stands.”

She shook her head, and saw him take out a pokeball from his pants pocket. Her Vileplume stepped in front of her just as he sent out his Crobat.

“My answer remains the same, I refuse to be with you.”

 _And join you in reviving Team Rocket_ , the silent continuation ghosts between them.

Erika watched the Crobat fly above their heads, Jumpluff floating near it curiously, bumping into it occasionally.

“I thought you said there would be no hostility?”

Erika crossed her arms, eyes narrowing at the man in front of her.

He chuckled, one hand still in his pocket while the other fiddled with his hair, “And you have my word. Crobat just likes the fresh air.”

She turned, Vileplume still between the two, “If that’s all you came to bother me for-“

“Is that Jumpluff the same one?”

Erika paused. He knew the answer already, and she didn’t want want to entertain him. Jumpluff cautiously floated down towards the two, placing herself behind Erika’s shoulder.

“I’m sure you know.”

“There’s a probability it’s not.”

“You know,” Erika continued her steps into her gym, “now if you’ll excuse me, I have a gym to tend to. You should run off and do whatever it is you do now that Team Rocket has disbanded.”

She stepped into the gym, closing the door behind her as a silent invitation to not follow, and sighed.

One lass came up to her, “Was that your boyfriend, lady Erika?”

“I’d rather not talk about it.”


	2. you know i'm your MIDNIGHT ROMEO

He remembers the first time he saw her, a young meek girl who looked like she could fall if the wind was too strong. Fingers bony and pale with an incredibly skinny frame that was swallowed up by her kimono, 15-year-old Erika was pitiful. Some might call him heartless, but he remembered feeling sorry for the frail girl, too delicate to be walking around by herself yet her head was held high and her eyes were looking straight at him in his Rocket uniform. 

15-year-old Erika might’ve been weak and fragile, but her Victreebell wasn’t, and it looked hungry for Rocket blood.

He had no interest in a little girl though, 21 years old and still trying to climb up the ranks of Team Rocket; still trying to gain the favour of Giovanni, he called himself pathetic. He had no time for a little girl who could do his plans no harm. 

But he could feel the stare on his back, full of hatred and almost looking to burn a hole through him no doubt. There was so much she didn’t know yet, but she’d find out soon enough. With that thought, he looked back and flashed a smirk at her, relishing in the light pink that coated her cheeks.

Ah, the fantasy of a bad boy partner was still with her at that age; the excitement and adrenaline and danger that could come along with being with someone like him. 

6 years seemed too big of a difference at first, but 3 years down the line, it didn’t seem that big anymore. 

18-year-old Erika was a doll, perfectly rounded features with a paleness that made her seem otherworldly, yet enough pigment in her lips and cheeks to bring her to life. She glowed under the studio lights, doing an interview with some big shot TV presenter who was obviously too taken by her looks. 

24 years old, sitting in his office and doing paperwork for the next upcoming mission as he sought to revive Team Rocket, and he was getting distracted by those eyes that held smolder, mystery and innocence. 

Her figure was kept hidden, the bulky kimono having too many layers to be able to tell and he clicked his tongue at the thought, before a picture of her in a one-piece flashed on screen. A white swimsuit deliciously crossed over her body, covering more than a bikini but less than a traditional one piece, and much less than what she would usually be wearing. 

A few more pictures crossed the screen, the next one being her covered up by a floral light green yukata, on the edge of the beach and looking out at the sea as other trainers and gym leaders laid out in the sands. 

The final picture, taken from one of the leader’s social media, was of her standing in front of the ocean. Her back was facing the camera, the swimsuit showing off the smooth skin of her back with unblemished thighs leading up to a firm backside. 

The TV presenter smiled back at Erika, who had the nerve to look sheepish at what she was wearing as they kept the picture of her back up on the screen behind them. 

“Wow, don’t you look sexy in that swimsuit. What made you wear that, when usually you’re so conservative?”

He looked at the presenter, and could see the hints of a flush on his cheeks as he glanced from the picture back to Erika sitting across. 

“It was a spur of the moment thing really, Flannery said I’d look nice in it and begged me to buy it after I tried it on. I saw no better opportunity to wear it than during the leaders’ retreat.” 

She offered a kind smile, elegant and innocent and distancing herself from the girl in the picture. The disconnect was all too real and he wasn’t sure why the need to ruin her ran in his veins, head filling with images of her laid out like a buffet on his bed, arms tied above her head to the headboard, legs spread temptingly and eyes glazed over with that natural smolder, yet innocent and curious. 

He could only imagine all the ways he’d force sounds out of her, make her beg and plead for him. 

“Aren’t you a little old to be on these trashy gossip channels?” 

His coworker opened the door to his office, and he broke out of his thoughts, crossing his legs stiffly under the table. 

“I needed some background noise, this was the channel it was on,” he returned his attention to his paperwork, pen tapping against the stack of papers in front of him, “To what do I owe the pleasure, Arianna?” 

She huffed, haughty like she was too good to be delivering a message to him, but threw an envelope on his table nonetheless, “Petrol wanted you to read that and then meet him first thing tomorrow. Must be something big.” 

He smirked, he could feel the tense air and the hatred over the fact that she wasn’t chosen for this job, “Will do, thank you.”

She turned to the door, about to step out before turning her head back at him, “By the way, didn’t know you had a thing for that gym leader. Better not let anyone find out.”

He scoffed, “What are you talking about?”

“You might want to make sure you’re not so flushed over that picture of her next time before denying anything.” 

He scoffed again, turning away from her as she walked out, and back to the TV. The picture shown this time was of her lying down on her stomach, breasts pushed flat on the ground as her head rested on her hands, a gentle smile on her face and a teasing wink given to the camera. 

“Oh, Viola…” 

The gym leaders sure knew how to take pictures of each other.


End file.
